Saturday, July 10, 2010

Paul Rose (Scuba) is the founder of London based Hot Flush recordings. Since its inception in 2003 , it has been responsible in delivering some of the biggest names in Dubstep to date. Boxcutter , Joy Orbison , Mount Kimbie , Sepaclure and many more. Scuba has also been putting out his own music with his debut album 'A Mutual Antipathy' dropping in 2008.

This year he released his 'Triangulation' record to much acclaim within the Dubstep spectrum. Scuba hits Australia very soon for the very first time , with his Sydney show pencilled in for the Civic Underground on the 23rd July.

How do you view Dubstep these days as a genre to how it was when you developed Hot Flush Recordings in 2003?

When we started the label I didn’t want it to be a dubstep label. I still don’t. Being part of it becoming a big thing has been interesting, but the result of something becoming ubiquitous is its homogenisation. In 2005 for example, there were endless sides to the Dubstep sound and now a large percentage of the people who describe themselves as Dubstep fans think it’s one thing only. That’s obviously disappointing but I’ve always been about moving things around stylistically both in production and djing so in fact it doesn’t bother me that much. If people are that unimaginative it’s their problem.

You have unearthed some of the most respected talent to date and brought forward releases from artists that have become sought after in electronic music , what is the strategy behind capturing the next potential breakthrough artist?

There is no strategy past keeping an open mind when listening to the music you get sent and what you hear other people playing. You’re not necessarily going to hear the track you release on the demo, the potential can be just as important.

2006 is when a lot of people feel Hot Flush recordings broke through and marked themselves in the electronic landscape , before then was it all about persistence and knowing you would have to keep pushing the boundaries to capture the interest in dubstep and deep soundscapes of electronic music?

It was about persistence yes, but really I had no choice because there wasn’t anything else I wanted to do with my life.

How much influence did the relocation to Berlin in 2007 have on your debut record?

Not a lot because I wrote most of it immediately after arriving, without having got to know the city at all. It’s probably there more on the second album but to be honest I’ve always been influenced by things that people would perceive to be “Berlin” anyway, like techno and (proper) electro, so it’s hard to say how much difference the move actually made.

Joy Orbisons track of last year 'Hyph Mngo' is revered among many, is it only when the people in the clubs are feeling one of your tracks that you know you have a potential favourite?

Ironically enough, whenever I played Hyph Mngo out before it got really well known it didn’t go down particularly well! So no, obviously it’s good when something works in a club but it doesn’t necessarily have to.

Who in your opinion is breaking barriers and moving forward in dubstep?

Most of what Loefah is putting out on his Swamp 81 label is on the money at the moment.

What is next in terms of Hot Flush releases?

Next up is the Mount Kimbie album. Then there’s more stuff coming this year from George Fitzgerald, Sepalcure, Sigha, remixes of tracks from Triangulation and maybe some new Joy Orbison.

As you are originally from London , how did you view the recent news regarding the iconic forward thinking nightclub 'Fabric' going into Administration?

The London club scene has been terrible for over 10 years now in all honesty.

What is the biggest achievement to date in your opinion that you have managed to make happen with Hot Flush Recordings?

I think just the label being where it is now, having started from zero, with no money and knowing nothing at all about the industry is achievement enough to be honest.

You will playing a number of shows throughout New Zealand and Australia very soon , what can we expect to hear during your sets?